Today's Scripture Reading (July 1, 2026): Jeremiah 10
His name was
Pan. He is often pictured with the horns, as well as the hindquarters and legs
of a goat. He is the god of the wild places. He is found in the fields and
forests, and anywhere where civilization is absent. His association with the
wild places is probably why we also associate him with sex.
However, he
is also the god of fear. Whenever Pan's afternoon naps were disturbed, he would
react with a shout that would instill fear into the hearts of anyone and
anything close enough to hear. Pan claimed that the Olympians' (the new gods)
victory over the Titans (the old gods) in the ten-year war called the
Titanomachy, fought in ancient Thessaly, was directly due to the fear the
Titans felt at the sound of Pan's shout. It is this effect of Pan on the hearts
of those around him that gives us the word "panic." Panic comes from the
Greek word "panikos," meaning "pertaining to Pan." Perhaps
the most famous example of this panic was found in the ancient battle between
Persia and Athens at Marathon on September 12, 490 B.C.E. The Battle of
Marathon was a David-and-Goliath story. Playing the part of Goliath were the
Persians, who showed up with overwhelming force. The Athenians played the role
of David. Athens had hoped to get help from Sparta, which possessed the best
Greek army of that day, but the Spartans were delayed, and Athens had to go up
against the Persians by itself. Herodotus (484-425 B.C.E.), a Greek historian,
reported that 203 soldiers died on the side of the Athenians, while 6.400
soldiers died and seven ships were sunk on the side of the Persians.
The story
behind the battle was that Pan had shown up on the side of Athens. Pan had
caused confusion and fear (panic) among the Persian soldiers with his shout,
allowing the Athenians to win a war that most believed would be a certain
defeat for the Greeks, even if the Spartans had been able to participate in the
battle. Panic has that effect on us, and it can change the outcome of the
fight.
Of course,
Pan doesn't exist, but panic is very real. Jeremiah sees a day when God would
cast the Judeans out and would bring panic on the land, causing them to run
into the arms of the armies who sought to capture them. A distress would come
upon the land just as it had on the Titans and the Persians, but this distress
would have nothing to do with Pan and everything to do with the God of Israel,
on whom the people had refused to call.
Tomorrow's
Scripture Reading: Habakkuk 1
Happy
Canada Day, Canada!
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